Memorial Hall, Deerfield Cloak Townsend Historical Society
Piecing diagram View of piecing and seam allowance
18cNewEnglandLife
Clothing & Accoutrements
The 18th century cloak was made quite simply. Sometimes with an attached hood, and on occasion with a cape or shorter additional piece for added protection over the shoulders. The term cape refers to the collar or small piece that covers the shoulders. The term for the garment is cloak. Examples vary from hip length to full length. Based on various quotes and garments still in existence it would seem that red was a commonly used color, with shades of gray, brown or blue next in popularity. The cloak was generally of a tightly woven broadcloth (18th century term for a firm woolen fabric) that held an edge. In her book Tidings from the 18th Century, Beth Gilgun shows us a pattern based on one of many that she has seen, a simple half circle unlined cloak with a hood. In a number of extant examples the hood is either fully of particularly lined with silk and in no case is the cloak itself lined.
In a collection here in Deerfield, Massachusetts, there is a
cloak that belonged to a woman who lived between 1761-1837. It is of
a tightly woven red wool, unlined and with a hood. The following
drawing by Susan Stewart is a wonderful example of the value of a fabric and the
oft-used method of piecing to make a garment. The seams are
miniscule.
Click on images for full size views.
Memorial Hall, Deerfield
Cloak
Townsend Historical Society
Piecing
diagram
View of piecing and seam allowance
In the book Costume Close-up there is a fine example of a circular cloak dated 1750-1810. It is made of red, plain-woven and fulled broadcloth with arm slits. Its hood is cut generously to accommodate tall hairstyles and has a drawstring casing in the front and is pleated in the back in such a way to create the characteristic fan design. The overall length of the cloak body is 42 and a half inches.
Fanned Pleating on Cloak Hood
Inside view *Hood view courtesy of Townsend Historical Society
When making a cloak, consider using one of the patterns from the two sources mentioned above. Choose a woolen fabric that will hold an edge and of a weight that will gather. In 18th century terminology a superfine, middling or low-prized broadcloth would be used. The tight weave of a broadcloth won't unravel, therefore holding an edge, and is rain repellant. Cut the cloak using one of the various diagrams available piecing as often as you'd like or need to. Sew the pieces together using very small 1/8th- inch seams. Leave the lower edge and front edge 'raw'- unsewn. There are no known cloaks in which the cloak itself is lined.. The length should be a workable one, chosen with its purpose in mind, and not so long that it comes near the ground. You'll want to keep it clean and dry. If you're new to sewing, you might leave the hood for another time. The hood may be lined or partially lined with silk on the outer edges where the silk will show. The front straight edge of the Lexington cloak is trimmed with a silk binding cut on the straight of the grain. This cloak is c. early 1800's.
Description of Existing Cloak
Cloak from the Village of Mobberley in Cheshire now in the collection of the Gallery of English Costume, Manchester. " It is of bright scarlet woolen cloth, in three sections, a full-width back section and two half-width front sections, pleated onto a neck-band together with the collar and hood. The collar lies inside the hood so that this cannot be worn over the head without turning up the collar to make exactly the close, weatherproof covering described by Samuel Bamford. (a1850 description) The hood is in two sections seamed from back to front and is shaped by pleating to a point at the center back, which is the way the fashionable silk hoods are also shaped. The hood is lined with brown silk and the collar is quilted with matching silk on cloth so that the silk shows when the hood and therefore the collar are worn up so that it is against the face. It is 46 inches ling, so unless worn by a short woman it would not have been quite full-length, and is 96 inches round the lower edge. By family tradition it was worn as a wedding cloak about 1800. It is well made and had obviously been kept for best wear. (pg. 130-131)Anne Buck
The Woolen Cloak and Its History
References from Dress in Eighteenth Century England by
Anne Buck.
The eighteenth century saw a rising middle class with the prosperous yeoman, a ranking below the gentry. These yeomen, or farmers, increased their wealth through large holdings of land giving them the ability to have all that could be purchased in London, all that is, except social standing. In T. Smollet's, The Life and Adventures of Sir Lancelot Greaves, 1762, Greaves disliked the changing ways of the rich yeoman: 'They kept their footmen, their saddle-horses and chaises; their wives and daughters appeared in their jewels, their silks and their satins, their negligees and trollopees; their clumsy shanks like so many shins of beef, new cased in silk hose and embroidered slippers'. (pg. 118)
Peter Kalm, a Swedish botanist traveled in England in 1748, making note of country life. "In the Gaddesden district of Hertfordshire he found that the farmer's wives rarely troubled themselves with the work of the farm, but spent their time looking after their houses, 'for about cleanliness they are very careful', and cooking."(pg.121) He wrote of dress in these farm families: 'When English women in the country are going to pay their compliments to each other, they commonly wear a red cloak. They also wear pattens under ordinary shoes when they go out to prevent the dirt on the roads and streets from soiling their ordinary shoes. All go laced (with stays), and use for everyday a sort of Manteau, made commonly of brownish Camlot. The same headdress as in London. Here it is not unusual to see a farmer or other small personage's wife clad on Sundays like a lady of "quality" at other places in the world and her everyday attire in proportion. When they go out they always wear straw hats which they have made themselves from wheat straw and are pretty enough. On high days they have ruffles.' (pg. 121)
Each of these items: the red cloak, the pattens, and straw hat are representative of a country woman. The cloth or woolen cloak the with or without the hood was worn traditionally by the country women, whereas the fashionable 'better' cloaks were made of silk lined with fur or thickly wadded for warmth. References to red cloaks appear often and over a broad period of time. Madame du Bocage in Oxfordshire in 1750, while visiting in the country cottages notes: 'People of this class have their houses well furnished, are well-dressed and eat well; the poorest country girls drink tea, have bodices of chintz, straw hats on the heads and scarlet cloaks upon their shoulders'. Thirty years later in Oxfordshire C.P. Mortize writes' 'The women of the lower class here, wear a short kind of cloak made of red cloth.' (pg. 130)
The Welsh seem to be found of blue cloaks and there are references to blue, gray and black for the Irish. In J McEvoy's Statistical Survey of the County of Tyrone in 1802; 'The cloak is generally of some cheap shop-cloth, often gray, though they affect scarlet when they can afford the price" (pg 131). Although these references are in Britain it may be useful to consider a gray color when interpreting the lower or servant class.
The cloak appears regularly in references from 1740 to about 1840. According to The Workwomen's Guide*," it survived only in its waning years from about 1820 -40 as an elderly fashion, 'Old Women's Cloak and Hood', generally made of 'scarlet cloth or duffle'." (pg. 131) *The Workwoman's Guide by a Lady, 1840
I have referred often here to Dress in Eighteenth Century
England by Anne Buck because to the wealth of information on the common
persons clothing and because the book is not easily available since it is out of
print. Attention to detail and citations make it an invaluable resource,
unfortunately, there is no such resource for New England. I'd also like to note
that at no time in her book does Anne Buck refer to the Kinsale cloak.
Since references are made to Welsh and Irish cloaks and their use of color I
would believe that if there was information on a different cut to a cloak that
it would have been mentioned. The Kinsale cloak required a good deal more
yardage to make, of the lighter, more costly woolens.
The mantle or short cloak was a fashionable as well as a warm garment. In Descriptions des Arts et Metiers by Monsieur Garsault, the author describes what he calls a mantelet. Writing in Paris, Garsault says that the garment has a hood and is made of (silk) taffeta or satin. Extant examples exist that are padded with wool batting or are lined with fur for fashionable occasions.
In Costume Close-Up you will find an example of a black silk leno net lace hooded mantle dated to 1760-1775. It is beautifully full and would drape well on the wearer. Garsault gives us examples of cloaks in the following drawings. Figure 2 represents a mantle in two lengths and Figure 3 gives us an example of a pelisse with arm slits.
Each of these gives us an idea of the cut of a mantle. In Costume Close-Up, milliner records in Williamsburg list a variety of fabrics used including 'cloth in black, purple, scarlet, and crimson.' ("Cloth" in the 18th century was broadcloth and was made of wool)
M. Garsault in Description des Arts et Metiers
Mitts, or fingerless gloves, were often used when finger dexterity was needed. Made of silk they were also worn with fine gowns. They could be knit or made of cloth. You will find help with knitting patterns for mitts or mittens in The Workwomen's Guide, by a Lady.
For cloth mitts we turn to Beth Gilgun and her pattern given to Muzzleloader readers. She warns us that the pattern is not easy to resize and that trial patterns should be made up first. The pattern is cut on the bias, which gives the fabric some ease. Made of wool they will have some additional give if left unlined. When lined they have a nice finish but care should be taken to cut the lining on the bias as well.
Pattern courtesy of Beth Gilgun & Scurlock
Publishing
In Costume Close-Up you will also find an example of mitts dated 1760-1780. They are made of a cream color silk and embroidered with blue silk thread. The points that would seem to extend down over the hand are lined with blue silk and would be worn turned back over the mitt. The rest of the mitt is lined with thin, white leather. The embroidery stitches used are also illustrated. A must-see item.